Help us decide which musical to see in London
#1
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Help us decide which musical to see in London
My DH and I want to see a musical while in London later this month. We have seen Jersey Boys, Les Mis, Lion King, Mama Mia, Miss Saigon, Phantom & Wicked.
We have narrowed our choice to Billy Elliot, Matilda (is this geared more for children??) and Once. My DH is over 6ft tall, so a theatre with good leg room would be ideal. Also, would any of these likely be offered at the TKTS booth at Leicester Square?
We welcome any of your suggestions.
Thanks!
We have narrowed our choice to Billy Elliot, Matilda (is this geared more for children??) and Once. My DH is over 6ft tall, so a theatre with good leg room would be ideal. Also, would any of these likely be offered at the TKTS booth at Leicester Square?
We welcome any of your suggestions.
Thanks!
#2
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We saw Matilda in New York with two of the actors who had originated their roles in London--the man who plays Mrs. Trumball (he was great playing the female headmaster) and Miss Honey had a beautiful voice. We thought the musical was wonderful and there were plenty of adults in the theater without kids. Can't speak to the London theater as far as leg room.
#4
You may find some helpful information at
http://www.theatermonkey.com/
In addition to theater news, show listings, special offers, access information and seating plans, there are comments about seat comfort, sight lines, and leg room.
Look for their page on Seats to Buy or Avoid in Each Venue. Choose For Best Seat Info on the left-hand side of the page.
http://www.theatermonkey.com/
In addition to theater news, show listings, special offers, access information and seating plans, there are comments about seat comfort, sight lines, and leg room.
Look for their page on Seats to Buy or Avoid in Each Venue. Choose For Best Seat Info on the left-hand side of the page.
#5
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Best show I've ever seen was Singing in The Rain at the Palace Theatre. Billy Elliot in Las Vegas was excellent as well. As with all public places, leg room will be an issue no matter the theatre. I wouldn't want to be the short guy behind your husband either.
#6
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You can tell what is on sale and the prices on the TKTS website:
http://www.tkts.co.uk/whats-on-sale/
As for legroom, I have yet to be in a theatre in London with a lot of legroom. Best bet is to book tickets where one seat is next to the aisle so he can stretch a bit during the show.
Enjoy!
http://www.tkts.co.uk/whats-on-sale/
As for legroom, I have yet to be in a theatre in London with a lot of legroom. Best bet is to book tickets where one seat is next to the aisle so he can stretch a bit during the show.
Enjoy!
#7
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We have seen Billy Elliot 3 times Love that show. My husband in 6'5" and If the theater has Loge seats the chairs are movable and there is lots of room to spread out. Don't recall ever seeing Billy Elliot at TKTS
#8
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Another vote for Billy Elliot, sp. if you like Elton John's music, he wrote the music. Also The Wiz is very good if it's still playing at the west end. We saw it at the palladium. Michael Crawford played the role of the wizard of oz. great music too, you might know some of the songs - somewhere over the rainbow, ease on down the road, home. It was also made into a movie starring Diana Ross as Dorothy, Michael Jackson as the scarecrow and Richard Pryor as the wiz. Your children might like it too for the story line and the interesting characters.
If you will be in London for a few days, you can get great deals by walking up to the theater's ticket office an hour or two before show time and ask about same day unsold or conc ( concession tickets ). If I remember correctly, we paid £10 per ticket for the Wiz for good orchestra seats.
If you will be in London for a few days, you can get great deals by walking up to the theater's ticket office an hour or two before show time and ask about same day unsold or conc ( concession tickets ). If I remember correctly, we paid £10 per ticket for the Wiz for good orchestra seats.
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Ticket Availability is driven by supply and demand so there's no guarantee that a particular musical will be on sale at the TKTS Booth. However, the few times that I checked the booth at LS, I've always seen available seats for Billy E. Not sure about Matilda.
#12
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Tickets at TKTS are not always discounted - for some musicals they sell only the full price tickets. So you may as well book in advance, especially if you want a seat with legroom.
Billy Elliot is good. Charlie & the Chocolate Factory is also very well done, with beautiful sets. More children in that one.
Billy Elliot is good. Charlie & the Chocolate Factory is also very well done, with beautiful sets. More children in that one.
#13
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Thanks for all your input. Guess we will cross 'Once' off our list.
This is our first trip to London and I have no idea on the different theatres. Between Billy Elliot and Matilda, is one theatre more appealing (i.e. great architecture/history) over the other?
k_marie--I will check out theatremonkey--Thanks!
BikerScott--I will look at the TKTS website.
Now I have to decide if it might be worth it to just purchase the tickets ahead of time and secure an aisle seat for DH's leg room.
This is our first trip to London and I have no idea on the different theatres. Between Billy Elliot and Matilda, is one theatre more appealing (i.e. great architecture/history) over the other?
k_marie--I will check out theatremonkey--Thanks!
BikerScott--I will look at the TKTS website.
Now I have to decide if it might be worth it to just purchase the tickets ahead of time and secure an aisle seat for DH's leg room.
#14
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We saw Billy Elliot in London and really enjoyed it - although there weren't any soaring solos as in Les Mis and Wicked, there were some great group numbers and dancing.
But just to make your decision harder, some friends of mine saw Once here in Seattle over the weekend and said it was AMAZING - it made me sorry that we didn't see it when we had the chance.
It might be unlikely that Once would be at the TKTS booths, since it's pretty popular, but if I was choosing between those three for a show tonight, I'd choose Once.
But just to make your decision harder, some friends of mine saw Once here in Seattle over the weekend and said it was AMAZING - it made me sorry that we didn't see it when we had the chance.
It might be unlikely that Once would be at the TKTS booths, since it's pretty popular, but if I was choosing between those three for a show tonight, I'd choose Once.
#15
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I saw Once in London and absolutely loved it. It does look like they have had a cast change - we saw Zrinka Cvitešić as The Girl and she stole the show, imo. She did win the Olivier for it and has apparently moved on.
I liked the show so much that I am anxious to see the US tour which comes to L.A. this summer.
One thing, if you do go, try to sit in the Stalls (Orchestra in the US) because you can go onstage before the show starts and at the interval to purchase drinks. The stage setting is a pub.
I liked the show so much that I am anxious to see the US tour which comes to L.A. this summer.
One thing, if you do go, try to sit in the Stalls (Orchestra in the US) because you can go onstage before the show starts and at the interval to purchase drinks. The stage setting is a pub.
#16
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Well...Once is back on the list....in fact, after reading the review on Theatremonkey, it just might be #1.
Are tickets for afternoon performances easier to obtain? Besides the TKTS booth, are there any legit on-line sites to purchase discounted tickets prior to leaving the States?
Are tickets for afternoon performances easier to obtain? Besides the TKTS booth, are there any legit on-line sites to purchase discounted tickets prior to leaving the States?
#17
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Saw "Once" at the beginning of May at the Phoenix. Despite the mostly favourable reviews and various awards, we were most disappointed. The folk-indie-rock music was forgettable and the plot not very interesting. But it's a matter of taste. At the curtain, the audience was on its feet cheering. Admittedly most were much younger, so perhaps I'm an old fogy.